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by Angelology



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: AH OT6, Multi, Orphanage AU, rt hybrid AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-24
Updated: 2014-07-24
Packaged: 2018-02-10 06:35:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 20,662
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2014758
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Angelology/pseuds/Angelology
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Gavin Free, a 14 year old mistreated Hybrid from England, has been enrolled into a relocation program for Hybrids to move to Austin, Texas for a start at a new life in a new orphanage. After befriending the new roommate, Ray, they both learn that there's more to the group of four terrifying Hybrids that rule the orphanage than they could have ever originally thought.</p>
            </blockquote>





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**Author's Note:**

> This was never meant to reach past 2000 words, I swear.  
> WARNING: Use of gay/homophobic slurs.  
> All age gaps are different and will be explained in the story.

It wasn't like Gavin wasn't used to moving.

He moved all the time from orphanage to orphanage, each dreadfully run-down building never holding a guarantee they would keep him. Families rarely ever adopted him and the only interest he ever got was by cruel hybrid trainers. He had fallen into the hands of a few before, leaving emotional and physical scars he could not heal and was quick to run away from each of them. So yes, he was very familiar with moving.

That didn't mean he was prepared to be signed up to a program to be moved to another country, more specifically for his case, America. Apparently the program was for some more of the 'troubled' hybrids and gave them a chance to start over at a new orphanage in another country with no ties to the previous sort of life.

Gavin didn't really have a say in the matter but that was fine by him, as the idea of being able to live in another country was definitely beyond amazing. The whole orphanage thing was a bit less amazing, but at least he would probably be allowed to stay in the same orphanage for more than a couple weeks. Hopefully the laws in America were a lot more kinder to hybrids as well.

After all, he was just given away to well-known cruel hybrid trainers more than once in England without anyone with authority interfering. Surely America handled the adoptions a little better.

The rules of the program were broken down for him and the thirty or so other orphaned hybrids in a small cracked room by some ridiculously dolled up woman. They were to stay at the orphanage at all times and if anyone attempted to escape they would immediately be sent back to England. Families had already chosen who they would adopt, so some would immediately be moving into homes as the paperwork was already dealt with. There was to be no complaints about the families, as all had been background checked and verified. A few more basic rules were ordered, and all had the same punishment of being sent back to England if anyone disobeyed.

They were split up into two groups- the ones that had already been adopted and the ones that hadn't. Names were read out and the kids were divided up, Gavin holding his breath until his name was read out.

The adopted were in group 1. The non-adopted were group 2.

"Gavin Free," the lady called, and Gavin stood up shakily from his seat on the floor, his wings twitching uneasily, "group 2."

Gavin let go of his breath, robotically moving towards the grim-faced kids. He couldn't tell if it was relief or disappointment that swelled around his heart and laced through his veins. Maybe a bit of both.

Only ten kids had been adopted. The other twenty crowded into the corner, tails, ears, wings and other furry appendages twitching in agitation as the cold began to seep through the room and curled around their thin bodies and tattered clothes.

They were dismissed, and Gavin didn't see the dolled up lady until his group was called up to be driven up to the airport a week later.

He didn't have much with him, his backpack being the only luggage he had like many other kids around him. Excitement buzzed through the group as they separated into their designated transport vans, being handed zip-locked containers of some cheap snacks and a bottle of water. They had been given a new set of nicer clothes, however they had neglected to custom them to those with wings. Gavin was left to uncomfortably bind down his wings, something he rarely ever did as the only shirt he owned, while very mattered and old, allowed holes for his wings to stretch out from them.

They refused to allow him to wear the old shirt, so he remained uncomfortable and grumpy for the majority of the trip as his wings cramped up from the uncomfortable position. The excitement, however, was contagious and soon Gavin found himself buzzing in his seat as they got closer and closer to the airport.

They checked in, gaining some weird looks from the more civilised people. It was probably hard not to look at the odd assortment of ridiculously thin hybrids that were being quite loud despite the constant hushing of the dolled woman and her partner, so no wonder they were gaining some attention.

They checked in and were escorted to a restricted area, where some chose to munch on their food. The sinking feeling of being nervous was too extreme in Gavin's stomach to really find anything appetising, so he settled for talking to some other random kid. His name was Dan and he was a wolf hybrid with scruffy hair but a better build than most of the other kids. They remained talking until the flight and were delighted to find out they were sitting next to each other on the plane.

The plane was absolutely horrifying. It wasn't the flying part that scared him, not at all. Once his wings on his back healed a little more from the abuse they had suffered a while ago from the last pair to adopt him, he planned on taking a test flight as soon as he could. Flying was one of the most greatest things he could do and he absolutely loved doing it.

However, flying in a big tin can over 30,000 feet in the air was definitely not something he enjoyed. The screens in front of him offered some distraction from the thought of flying in a tin can, watching some new movies and shows.

During one action part he frowned, pausing the shot and mumbling "that would've looked better in slow motion."

Dan took out one of his earphones and looked at him weirdly, "what did you say?"

Gavin's eyes widened as he realized Dan had heard him over the earphones, but then reasoned that was probably to be expected because the wolf hybrid was probably on edge as well and listening out for any sort of dangerous noise.

"I, uh, said that this shot would look better in slow motion. You know, give some excitement and closer detail to all the action and stuff instead of being all quick paced. Sorry, I guess I said the thought aloud." Gavin shrugged, gesturing to the screen as he talked.

Dan probably wouldn't be interested, as most other people weren't when Gavin got excited about slow motion. But the other kid grinned sincerely and nodded, "Yeah, I see what you mean. That would make it bloody top, I recon."

Almost instantly they connected into a deeper friendship, both excitedly throwing ideas of what they could do with slow motion. At one point Gavin fell asleep against his headrest, but awoke a few hours later to find himself resting against Dan. He considered moving his head from Dan's shoulder, but decided he was much more comfortable on Dan and fell back asleep for the rest of the trip.

They woke right before they landed. Gavin's wings were stiff and sore under the shirt and he knew he had to let them stretch as soon as he could. Dan stretched as much as he could in the small seat, nearly knocking Gavin in the face.

By the end of the flight most of the kids had regained the excited energy and began to impatiently jump in their seats, well beyond ready to step out and stretch their tired limbs. They were rounded up as soon as they stepped out from the plane, guided to a corner as the dolled up lady did a head count of all the kids. Satisfied, she walked away to go talk to some man who had been lurking around with a nice suit.

They were introduced to the man, who said his name was "Mr. Forrester" and that he was the owner of the orphanage they were about to be sent to.

They were split into smaller groups of five, Dan and Gavin excited they had been selected for the same group. They had no big cases of luggage to collect so they went straight out to the car after toilet breaks.

The first thing he noticed when he stepped outside the glass doors of the airport was the heat.

It was ridiculously hot. He was glad for the thin shirt, but his wings were still wrapped around him and made it almost unbearable to stand the heat.

Dan looked at him in sympathy, but quickly cheered him up and grabbed his wrist as they ran to the escort vehicle, both of them beating the other kids and calling the two back seats of the van. They climbed in, grinning at each other then looking out the window as they got their first look at America.

The driver entertained them, announcing they were in Austin, Texas and he even played I-spy with the younger kids that were in the seats in front of them. Gavin and Dan didn't participate as they both had their gazes on the city of America, staring in awe as the drove through the streets.

Dan turned to him once the city background changed to more suburban areas, his voice soft as he spoke.

"B, do you think I'll get adopted?"

Gavin looked at him in shock. Of course Dan would be chosen quickly- he was a wolf hybrid, after all. The wilder animals, also known as Predators, were always more rare and chosen almost immediately, a big majority of them already in group 1. Dan also looked a lot stronger and better and his hybrid parts were easier to conceal and also had a strong sense of loyalty and determination surrounding him, and Gavin had no doubt he would definitely be adopted as one of the first in group 2.

Gavin told Dan exactly what he was thinking and Dan seemed relieved. "I hope so, B."

Gavin wasn't sure where the B nickname came from, but he didn't argue against it.

"You'll be top, B." Gavin replied, his grin even wider as the other boy seemed to grow a sense of confidence.

They kept talking right until a sense of unease grew among the kids. Gavin tried to find the source of unease, realising it was being caused by the building they could now see through the front window. It was the only other building in the area, the street deserted of any other population.

It was a new building, the cream paint new and fresh on the bricks and the few windows just about sparkled with cleanliness. The grass at the front of the building was artificial and brightly coloured, but Gavin doubted any of the kids would be allowed to play on it. It was fenced off at the sides of the building and Gavin wondered what was behind it. If it was as open as Gavin thought, it could probably be some sort of backyard with a playground.

The van stopped on the side of the road and they were all gestured out by the driver. They formed a line, Gavin and Dan hanging around at the back as they were the eldest in the group. They waited outside until the other vans pulled up and the other kids lined up as well, being lead inside by the doll-woman.  
  
The inside was just as new as the outside of the building. The white walls were lined with creative and colourful art and shelves. Modern furniture sat with barely any markings (which was definitely weird, considering the younger kids always had a way of dirtying and marking any sort of substance) and overall, the place looked a lot better than all of the other orphanages Gavin stayed at.  
  
They were separated into groups and taken into a small room one at a time in alphabetical order, each ‘meeting’ taking about ten minutes or so. Gavin and Dan remained in silence as they watched the younger kids take some interest in some of the colouring books that laid stacked on top of each other on a table. They were both lucky as their last names were relatively close to the top on the list so they didn’t have to wait as long.  
  
Eventually, Gavin was called in. Dan gave him a wide grin and a comforting nudge which boosted Gavin’s confidence as he unsteadily walked towards the small office labeled “MANAGEMENT” on the door.  
He knocked on the door three times, waiting patiently until the man behind the door called out for him to come in. He walked in to see Mr. Forrester, the owner of the orphanage that had greeted them at the airport before-hand. The man smiled kindly and gestured for Gavin to sit in the chair across from him.  
  
“Alrighty Kiddo, what’s your story?” Mr. Forrester asked, and Gavin’s eyes narrowed down on the file that was in front of the man. Without a doubt, he knew that was his folder.  
“Why are you asking when it’s right in front of you?” Gavin asked, aware that being rude was probably not a good way to start off the meeting.  
The man laughed, shrugging in an innocent gesture. “Ah, but I’d like to hear it from you. It always seems to differ from the text to the actual kid’s mouth, wouldn’t you agree, Mr Free?”  
  
Gavin looked down in shame, his cheeks colouring red as the guilt of being so rude washed over him. “Sorry, sir. I’m Gavin Free, 14, from Oxfordshire in England.”  
The man nodded but had his eyes fixed on Gavin’s shirt. “What hybrid are you?” The man asked eventually, leaning back in his chair carefully.  
“Oh, I’m a bird. Lark, to be exact I guess.” Gavin replied, shifting in his seat as his wings suddenly began aching again as soon as he took notice of them.  
  
The man nodded again then leaned under his desk and grabbed a bag and passed it to Gavin.  
“Here, we don’t like the kids having to hide their hybrid parts. In there,” the man gestured to the bag Gavin now had in his lap, “is two shirts that are custom-fit to wings, a little bit of money so you can buy some treats or something later and some documents we suggest you review over. For now, this meeting is done. Good day, Gavin Free, there’s someone outside waiting to escort you to your room.”

Gavin was right, Dan was adopted almost immediately.  
  
The wolf hybrid had announced it to him as they sat on the end on one of the many long dining tables at lunch, joining on the end of a random group that had chosen to sit as far away as possible from the 'popular' table, casually munching on the burgers that had been served.  
  
“B,” he had said, pushing his plate away from him and turning to Gavin with a serious expression, “I just got told I’m under review for adoption. Apparently this family wanted to adopt me earlier so I would be in group 1, but there were some issues so they’ve had to wait. You were right, B.”  
  
Gavin was happy for Dan, he truly was, but he couldn’t deny there was definitely an emotion like sadness beginning to enclose around him. His only one friend was leaving him alone in a whole new country after only just two days of being at the orphanage and he would be stuck alone.  
It was selfish, but Gavin despised Dan for it. He couldn’t let him know that, of course, instead sticking with smiling widely and congratulating him.  
  
Dan left about a week later, leaving Gavin with an empty bunk-bed and heart. He was alone in a whole new country with strange other people that probably didn’t even like him and his only friend had left him. Frustration built beneath his chest and he spent the night taking his annoyance out on the poor defenceless pillow beneath him.  
The first day without Dan was the worst. He could no longer turn around and excitedly start talking to the other boy about whatever caught his attention. There was no one to talk to, no one to share his excitement in the world of slow-motion and cinematography and no one else seemed to enjoy his sense of fun.  
  
The bunk-bed remained empty for about three days until a new kid walked into the dorm with a goofy smile and glasses.   
“I’m Ray,” he introduced himself as he stood in the doorway, awkwardly readjusting his backpack as it began to slide off his shoulders. Gavin grinned, immediately springing up from the bed to greet the new kid. He was getting lonely and if he at least made one friend it would fix quite a few of his problems and this new kid was probably his best shot at making a friend.

The kid wasn’t really much of a kid, maybe a year or so younger than himself. His hair was a bit of a scruffy mess, but what really caught his attention was the two rabbit ears that stood up past his hair. Gavin's feet randomly stumbled over themselves as he was walking to the new guy, but thankfully somehow managed to catch himself before he tripped right onto the new guy. He looked up and grinned sheepishly as the other guy laughed at him.  
  
“I’m Gavin,” he said after a few moments, the grin turning from sheepish to excitement. Ray was still laughing at him, shaking his head in amusement.   
“I swear if we’re bunk-mates I’m going to end up somehow tripping over you every morning or you falling on top of me no matter where you sleep, am I right? You’re clumsy as fuck, like c’mon dude, surely a guy with huge feathers coming out of his back would have a little more balance?” Ray teased in good-nature, throwing his bags onto the bed he had seen Gavin spring up from.  
  
Gavin just held his grin, somewhat apologising with a “Well, sucks to be you, cotton-tail,” Okay, not really an apology at all, “I mean if it really bothers you, you should considering getting X-Ray vision, hah get it?”   
Ray groaned and rolled his eyes, mumbling a “why the fuck am I stuck with your british ass?” He made himself comfortable on the bottom bunk, watching as Gavin stuttered around for an excuse not to be called a “british-ass”.  
  
Gavin came up blank, clearly, instead diverting the topic and asking “So where are you from, then?”   
Ray shrugged, “New York. The orphanages were beginning to overflow there, but they were basically houses made of dirt they were so shitty. I’m glad I was chosen to sign up for this program, I can actually stretch out without my head or arms hitting the walls and ceiling. Ah, well I guess I’m not really from New York, my files say I’m of Puerto Rican descent but I’d have no idea of that.”  
  
Gavin nodded, his wings stretching slightly to get rid of any cramps caused from not moving them for so long. He realized he hadn’t been doing anything for a good few hours, instead staring off into space until Ray came in.  
The two of them dicked around for a while, asking each other dumb questions and getting to know each other. They were quickly becoming good friends, which Gavin was definitely glad for as the feeling of loneliness began to melt away.  
  
Ray had asked a bit about the groups of the orphanage, asking about who he should avoid. Gavin just shrugged, mentioning that staying away from the Predator hybrids was probably a good start. He had recoiled one group in particular that most kids had stayed well away from, but he couldn't remember any names or what they even looked like.

Ray had pulled out a DS at one point and Gavin had gotten so excited by it fell off the bed and nearly took down the DS with him. Once both of them found out the other was into games, the friendship only grew as they challenged to beat each other’s scores until Ray’s DS ran flat.  
  
“Ah, I was playing it on the plane so I didn’t expect it to last long anyway. I got the charger so it’s cool, I got it under control. Just give it a few minutes,” Ray began to mumble to himself as he hunted through his bag for the charger. Gavin took another look at the time and frowned, “I think we have to go eat dinner first. Although the food is pretty top so I can’t really complain.”  
“Top? Vav, c’mon, you can’t be my superhero partner if you can’t speak basic English.”  
“Vav?” Gavin questioned, looking at Ray weirdly who simply shrugged.  
“Yeah, and I’m X-Ray, and we’re the two greatest superheroes this world has ever seen. Well, I am. You’re just the useless sidekick who stands there and looks cute.”  
Gavin couldn’t really argue with that one.  
  
It seemed that by calling himself a superhero, the world decided to give him some villains. They came in the form of three boys who cornered him one day after the showers as he was heading back to his dorm to play some more DS with Ray. It had been less than four days of knowing the guy and they had already formed a very strong friendship through games and gay jokes.

The ‘villains’ had started to throw snide remarks at first to each other about Gavin as they walked behind the Brit, well aware Gavin could hear them all, but they got bolder and began to openly taunt him and encourage him to fight back.  
  
_“Come on you little chickie! Let’s see how many pillows we can stuff full of your feathers together!”_  
 _“Poor lonely birdie, flying all on his own with none of his pack.”_  
 _“Must’ve fell out the nest, I swear it.”_  
 _“Then why don’t we encourage him to fly?”_  
  
The words were certainly not meant to be friendly, each sentence aimed to leave a harsh blow. His wings, on pure instinct, curled a little closer to himself in a defensive position. He knew that spreading his wings would only encourage the boys to attack him, his wings probably just looking like some big target.  
Gavin didn’t give a verbal response, simply walking faster down the hall. The boys didn’t seem to appreciate getting ignored, catching up easily behind him and making up the distance quickly and even reached out to pull at Gavin’s feathers.  
  
It was the hyena hybrid, his sharp nails scratching against his wings as he viciously laughed. The other two were other Predators, one having a wicked grin and mischievous features, making Gavin assume he was a fox. The last boy was a dog of some sort if the growl and the ears gave any indication.  
Gavin turned, his wings flexing in threat, natural instinct turning over as he was faced with the natural predators of his own hybrid.  
  
Turns out, Gavin was really no good for being a superhero. Ray was definitely correct when he said Gavin was useless and only good for standing there and looking cute.  
At least he thinks I’m cute, Gavin thought to himself, smiling despite the situation he found himself in.  
  
Still, being a superhero was definitely not his life-calling. He went to threaten them verbally or just run away, but one of the guys pulled on a feather and managed to disrupt his whole balance and he stumbled, falling right onto the floor beneath the three ‘villains’.  
  
He cursed himself mentally for his clumsiness, looking down and watching as the three pairs of feet stepped closer to encircle him. His eyes remained on the floor as he attempted to get up slowly, but the guy that had walked to stand behind him quickly pushed him back down.  
  
They laughed as they taunted him and tried pulling at more feathers, Gavin attempting to swipe at them with his wings. One had quick reflexes, managing to grip the top of Gavin’s wing and pull painfully at it as the others began to get a little more physical in their attacks.  
  
There wasn’t anywhere to go and every time Gavin tried to open his mouth they would quickly find a way to shut him up either by downright punching him in the jaw or sending a harsh kick to his ribs. He remained silent, the only sound escaping past his lips being small cries of pain whenever they kicked or punched him particularly hard.

It reached a point where Gavin just shut it out and curled in on himself, focusing at staring at a spot in the floor and letting his mind wander off blankly. He wasn’t thinking anything and he wasn’t feeling anything, his senses slowing shutting down on him as the attacks continued.  
  
Gavin wasn’t sure how long it had gone on for, but it thankfully stopped for no reason he could immediately see. He dared to look up, seeing that a shoe had stopped right before kicking his stomach and was paused in the air. He looked up even higher to see the panic on the boys’ faces and some garbled words that he could make no sense of.  
Bloody bastards had probably done something to his hearing. He just hoped it wasn’t permanent.  
  
He sluggishly blinked, his vision having gone blurry somewhere in the attacks without realising. When his eyes opened and his vision cleared a little, he saw one new guy crouched down next to him looking at him worriedly. His vision was still blurry so he couldn’t really place any details of the guy.

Slowly, Gavin moved his head to see that there were another three guys crouched or standing around him. One of them helped him sit up and another one began to quickly check over some of the wounds, the one crouched near him still staring.  
  
At one point another boy had joined, and even though Gavin couldn’t really see much, he could basically feel the anger pouring off the guy. He involuntarily tucked into himself, his wings curling closer to him in caution.  
  
His mouth opened in a surprised gasp as he found out that moving his left wing bloody hurt like hell, and the guy checking over his wounds was quick to pick up on it.  
After a few minutes his vision began to clear up and his hearing seemed to come back a little. He focused on the guy that was staring at him, realizing he definitely seemed familiar even though he seemed about two or three years older than himself. He had tattoos running down the length of his arms and Gavin found himself tracing some of the patterns, taking comfort in the swirls of the ink. He forgot about the other guys until one peeked into his vision.  
  
He recoiled a little at the movement and the other guy smiled apologetically. Gavin realized he was the guy that was checking over his wounds and he tried to mumble out a “thank you” but the words got garbled once they tried to go past his lips.  
  
The guy seemed to get the gist at least, smiling comfortingly and mumbling back a “no problem.” The other two guys were standing off the side of the hallway, one gesturing angrily at the air around him. Gavin tried to place where he had seen the guys before, but there seemed to be a huge cotton ball where his brain should be.  
  
“I think he’s got a concussion, and the wounds on him are just some seriously bad bruises and a few scratches. They could’ve done something internal though, so it’s safer to get it checked out.” The guy checking his wounds finally declared and Gavin looked at him in confusion.  
  
Concussion? He didn’t remember hitting his head, but then again he didn’t really remember much of the fight. The other two guys approached, looking at him in concern.  
“I’m going to kill those fuckers,” The one that said it was about more around his own age and was the one with the rage pouring off him. He had one tattoo that Gavin could see on his arm and his tail was swishing behind him in agitation. Gavin tried placing the sort of animal that the tail came from but couldn’t remember the word for the life of him and cursed himself for not being able to do so.  
  
He didn’t really remember much after that either, only remembering that two of the guys had to help him walk as he nearly fell right back over once he tried getting up, and at one point he had come back into focus to see that he was resting piggy-back style on someones back.  
  
Gavin couldn’t stay in focus long enough to figure out who was giving him the piggy-back.   
  
The next thing he knew, Gavin was laying on a bed. It was sort of familiar, but he couldn’t immediately place where he was. Thankfully he was on his stomach, his wings lying lazily on top of him and draping over the side of the bed.  
  
It took a while for his eyes to open, but once they did he was greeted by the sight of a guy standing at the edge of his bed, arms folded as he leaned against the wall across from him.  
  
“Who are you?” Gavin asked, his mouth having that horrible sort of taste whenever he woke up from a nap and his voice horribly croaky from disuse.   
“Ah, so you don’t remember. Wouldn’t expect that much, of course, seeing as you’re experiencing a concussion, well, that’s what the nurse said. I’m the one that saved your scrawny ass from those dickheads who were kicking the shit out of you. I’m Geoff, nice to meet you I guess.” Geoff pushed himself off the wall and instead sat on the end of his bed, forcing Gavin to move his feet up as he made himself comfortable.  
  
Gavin frowned, and then got a few broken fragments of memory of the past incident. Geoff. The name was so familiar and he was so familiar… so where the hell had he seen him?  
It struck him suddenly. He was the guy that he had seen most kids avoid. He was the ‘popular’ guy.  
  
“What about the other guys then?” Gavin asked, sitting up from the very comfortable position under his blankets.  
  
Geoff grinned, “The assholes beating you up? You should be glad Michael didn’t catch ‘em. They seemed to recognize us, making the wise decision to high-tail it right the fuck outta there once they saw us. Ryan went to go tell some staff or whatever, but I’m surprised none of the workers found you guys. Usually there’s always someone patrolling each floor. Ah, whatever, those dickheads will get what’s coming to them.”  
  
Gavin took comfort in this, nodding in acknowledgment as he studied Geoff a little closer. “I meant the other guys, the ones with you. Ryan? Michael?” Gavin asked, once again finding himself fascinated by Geoff’s tattoos.  
  
Geoff’s grin widened, “Ah, those dickheads. Michael was the rage guy, who’s really just a cuddly kitty so don’t worry about him. Ryan is the creepy one, but don’t let that fool you, he’s really a big softie as well. Jack was the one checking over your wounds, he’s a lion or whatever but I really don’t fucking understand how, that dudes’ heart is literally made of sunshine. They’re all out with your room buddy getting some lunch, which I had to miss to babysit your british ass.”  
  
“What about you, then? You’re a big, soft cuddly ram, right?” Gavin teased, nudging the guy with his foot. If he could take anything positive out of this incident, it may as well be some more friends.  
  
“Hah, you wish asshole. I’ll kick your ass back to Britain if you even dare imply that.” Although the words may have seemed serious, the guy still had the large grin on his face.  
They teased each other for a while, Geoff reassuring him that he had already gotten lunch and wasn’t missing out on anything by having to sit with Gavin, despite what he said earlier. Geoff listed off Gavin's injuries, nothing serious other than the concussion and some seriously nasty bruising around his torso and some really munged up feathers. Thankfully, all he needed was a bit of rest and he’d be fine.    
  


The other four boys walked in a while later to the scene of Gavin and Geoff wrestling on the floor, Gavin laughing hysterically as Geoff tickled him but still thankfully managing to be careful of his previous injuries.  
  
“Nice to see you two are already gay for each other, but please be considerate of the children when you begin to take the wrestling to another level.” Gavin whipped his head around to see the guys standing in the doorway and watching in amusement. The guy that had spoken was the rage guy from earlier, but he was clearly a lot more relaxed and calm.  
  
“Don’t worry Vav, I’ll save you!” Ray dramatically yelled, shoving Michael out the way and hollering as he tackled Geoff from his straddled position on Gavin’s stomach. They began to wrestle it out, Geoff somehow managing to get the upperhand on both Ray and Gavin.  
  
“Are you three fuckers actually going to fuck or what?” Michael rolled his eyes, but he couldn’t deny he was definitely enjoying the show.  
“Of course not Michael, that’d be silly, these two are way too underage and that’s illegal.” Geoff huffed in exaggeration.  
“Oh please Geoff, all of us are underage. Even you.” Jack’s voice rose amongst the chaos of Gavin’s squawking and Ray’s jokingly exotic moaning as Geoff tackled them.  
“Not for long,” Geoff grinned, managing to get out of the wrestling and went to stand in front of Michael.  
  
Michael just rolled his eyes and muttered something under his breath. Jack and Ryan stepped into the room, Jack heading over to Gavin and helping him up from the floor.  
“That was probably a stupid idea, considering you’re most likely still concussed and bruised.” Jack scolded, eyes scanning over Gavin to check for any more injuries.  
“Ah don’t worry about me, Geoffrey wasn’t too rough or anythin’.” Gavin waved him off, flexing his wings confidently in a show that he was fine. He was, really, his body just felt a bit sore and stiff. He wouldn’t let that get in the way of being able to do his usual things.  
  
Jack looked like he wanted to argue on that point but instead just settled with a large sigh and a shake of his head. “You’re going to be trouble, aren’t you?” He mumbled under his breath, walking over to Geoff and gesturing him out of the room.   
Gavin watched them leave, sitting on his bed as Michael and Ray talked and laughed with Ryan standing in the corner. He gave the man a quick once-over before he decided on his next move.  
  
His next move was to slink up to Ryan, the man acknowledging him with a slight eyebrow raise.  
“I’m Gavin.” He introduced himself, beating himself up for his usual lack of smoothness.   
“Ryan.” The other guy said in reply and Gavin nodded, deciding against saying that he already knew that.  
  
“So where are you from then?” Gavin asked, persistent in trying to befriend Ryan.  
“Georgia, got moved here a little more than three months ago. Michael is from New Jersey, been here a little longer than me. Geoff’s been here the longest, says he’s moved quite a bit but came from New Orleans. Jack moved here about the same time as Geoff but came from a more local area, but he refuses to tell us where. Now, any more questions?” Ryan tried to nudge him off, but Gavin was having none of it.  
  
“So, what are you, Ry?” Ryan’s eyebrow rose at the nickname but he made no comment, “A cow? A bull?”  
Ryan shrugged, “Something like that. You’re a bird. Michael’s a cat, Geoff’s a ram and Jack’s a lion. Anything else?”  
“Sheesh, someone’s being a mung. I guess not, though.” Gavin felt a bit deflated at being blown off so easily and made sure Ryan knew just how upset he was over it. His eyes fell downcast and he let out a slight pout, leaning away from Ryan. It got the exact reaction Gavin was hoping for.  
  
Ryan sighed, “Look, I’m sorry. I’m not used to some new kid coming in and asking such… personal questions.”  
Gavin looked up but still had the pout, “A kid? I’m not a bloody kid, I’m fourteen!”   
Ryan smirked, folding his arms and raising his eyebrow. “Seems like a kid to me. I’m just on seventeen, Geoff’s nearly eighteen and Jack is close to seventeen as well. Michael is fifteen and we call him a kid. So you’re a kid as well, unless you would rather settle for toddler.”  
  
Geoff and Jack reentered the room and Geoff immediately joined in on their conversation. “Hm, I don’t know Ryan, he might just end up being our kid. After all, I’m a legal guardian at eighteen and I can leave this hellhole and adopt him. What’d you say about having a little brother?” Geoff began laughing at the somewhat baffled look on Ryan’s face.  
  
“We better leave the guy alone to recover from his serious case of dumb ass. Nice meeting you, I suppose. We’ll see you at dinner.” Geoff lead the guys out, each one smiling at him kindly as they walked out.  
  
Instantly, Ray was on him. “Do you know who that was, dude? That was Geoff Ramsey, the guy at the top of the ‘food chain’ in this place. I heard the kids whispering about him at lunch, the dude is seriously feared here. The other guys are his ‘pack’ and you don’t ever want to fuck with them.”  
  
Gavin considered this, easily figuring out why Geoff would be so feared. Still, the top of the food chain was usually the bullies that picked on the younger and newer kids, not some guy that actually stood up to it.  
  
“I know!” Ray continued, as if reading Gavin’s thoughts, “He shouldn’t be at the top! But I could see it, the way the kids part for him and look down. There was a few stories circling around about the other guys too. Geoff apparently got the tattoos with some chick when they snuck out of the orphanage one night and then ended up beating a fully grown man for questioning their age. Ryan has some real crazy stories on him, probably some of the weirdest I’ve ever heard. Apparently he was adopted by some family that opened a farm and he managed to stick a cow in a hole. A fucking hole! Who the fuck sticks a cow in a hole? The name Edgar also came up a lot with the name Ryan, but I couldn’t understand why. Jack apparently really lived up to his lion hybrid part one night, full on attacking and nearly killing some other kid who threatened Michael. And Michael… his name is ‘Rage Quit’, which I don’t doubt at all.”  
  
Gavin could feel his jaw drop, trying to imagine the guys he had just met doing all those things. Ray just shrugged, climbing onto his top bunk. “Well, at least no one will fuck with you now, seeing as you just seemed to get accepted into their little gang.”  
  
Hearing about the food chain was one thing, but once Gavin actually paid attention to it seeing it was a whole new concept.   
He never really noticed it before, maybe because he was just so used to it from the previous orphanages and never really bothered with it, but he watched with interested as the kids backed away from any of the guys and completely avoided Geoff if they could. At dinner, it seemed like they got a whole area to themselves as all the other kids sat as far away as they could.  
  
Geoff had waved the two over, and Gavin couldn’t tell if the other kids were staring at them with envy or sympathy. Gavin made himself comfortable next to Jack, Ray sticking closely to him as the guys continued on their normal conversation.  
It was one Gavin and Ray could easily slip in with. The topic was games.  
  
As it turned out, they were all huge gamers and were somehow very on-top of the newest game releases and consoles, even though it was hard to get outside contact in the orphanages.   
They were all released from dinner and were given an hour and a half before lights out for the younger kids, and an extra half hour for the kids above fifteen. Gavin and Ray pouted at that, annoyed at the rules but cheered up once the other guys invited them over to hang out at Geoff’s and Jack’s room.  
  
As they made themselves comfortable, Geoff began to complain. “Did you see that kid looking at us at dinner? He’s been pestering me to try and hang out with him. And I got some other group of chicks trying to suck my dick or something.”  
Jack laughed at that and Ryan made some snide comment under his breath. Michael was the only one to speak up against it, “Like you wouldn’t love that, Geoffrey.”  
Geoff rolled his eyes and sighed in exaggeration, “It’s tiring being famous, Michael, but you’d never know that.”  
  
They began to tease each other and Gavin found himself making his way over to Jack.  
“So the stares earlier were more of envy, then?” Gavin asked, sitting beside Jack on his bed. His wings stretched out behind him and Jack began to stare at them.   
“Yeah, you could say that. Most people try and suck up to us to try and be at the ‘top’, I guess, and you new two guys suddenly work yourselves in immediately. It probably pisses them off,” Jack laughed, shaking his head in sympathy, “Can’t blame them, but we’ve had our eyes on you two since you came in. Speaking of, weren’t you with some other guy earlier?”  
  
Gavin felt his heart sink at the mention of Dan, his eyes looking at the floor as he kicked his legs over the edge of the bed. “Yeah, his name is Dan. The bloody donut left me though, got adopted pretty much immediately like I assumed.”  
Gavin looked up, his gaze on Jack’s beard which resembled more of a mane. “It’s pretty much fact that all ‘predators’ are chosen immediately. So why haven’t you been?” Gavin asked.  
  
Gavin realised it was a bit harsh and wanted to immediately take back the words, but Jack’s laugh calmed him down. “I got a bit of trouble on my documents and I’m pretty sure Geoff would never allow any of us to be adopted. As soon as he turns 18, he wants us all to leave with him. I’m pretty sure we’d follow him to the ends of the Earth, so that plan is pretty much guaranteed to happen.”  
  
“We’re in a whole new part of America! A whole new state and under close supervision and you want to bloody run away? How are you going to do that? If you get caught, you get sent straight back to wherever the hell you came from! With a hell of a punishment too!” Gavin interrogated, assuming that the whole running away thing earlier was just a joke.   
“Geoff has outside connections and they’ve been strong for a while. We’d be fine if we left, I think.” Jack shrugged, then turned to Gavin. “Are you feeling alright? Those brats did a real number on you.”  
  
It was Gavin’s turn to shrug. “The painkillers help, but I feel fine. Honestly. Thanks, by the way, for helping and all. Really saved my ass.”   
Jack just smiled at him warmly before Geoff interrupted.  “Hey, asshole, stop hitting on my boyfriend.”  
Immediately, Gavin recoiled in shock and whipped his head back and forth, staring at Jack and Geoff. “You’re serious?” He finally asked after realizing that Geoff seemed to be serious.  
  
Michael frowned, folding his arms, “You got a problem with that?”  
Gavin was quick to defend himself, waving his arms frantically in front of him, “No, no! Of course not! I just thought… it was all a friend thing…” He finished lamely, Michael visibly calming and nodding. He turned to Ray, about to ask him the same thing before Ray shrugged and said “No problems here.”  
  
Jack stood up from the bed, seeming to consider an idea before speaking. “It’s actually not just-”  
“Jack,”  Geoff hissed, efficiently silencing the man. Gavin and Ray glanced at each other in confusion, tension quickly rising in the air among the other guys.  
Ray was quick to get the two of them out, deciding it was probably a good idea to not be hanging around once the tensions rose to a seriously dangerous level, “Anyway, we gotta shower and other manly stuff before bed, so we’ll see you guys later or something.”  
  
When the shut the door, it seemed like they shut the doors to Hell itself. Immediately yelling arose and Gavin and Ray glanced at each other and frowned, unable to make out the words even with their heightened senses. Ray shook his head after a moment, grabbing Gavin’s wrist and quickly pulling him back down to their dorm.  
They hadn’t really known how to discuss what had just happened in Geoff’s dorm, so they remained silent as they brushed their teeth and showered. The topic only came up once they were in bed, sleep escaping from both of them.  
  
“So, uh, what the fuck was that?” Ray eventually questioned, his voice piercing through the silence.  
Gavin shrugged, then realized that Ray couldn’t see it, “You think I know? All I know is that Jack went to say something which clearly all of them knew what he was going to say, and then Geoff is bloody telling him to shut up and they all start acting spaffy.”  
  
Ray sighed, the bed creaking as he adjusted his position. Silence enveloped the room once again, each of them knowing the other would probably not be asleep within the next hour. Both of them, it seemed, didn’t have much luck sleeping.  
  
Eventually, Gavin spoke up, “Hey, Ray?”  
“Yo.”  
“Do you know who carried me on their back after I was attacked?”  
“I’ll recount what Michael told me briefly. The kids saw Geoff about to raise hell on them and they high-tailed it the fuck outta there. Michael nearly sent them straight to hell himself. Jack checked your wounds and Ryan went to get some adult. Geoff was the one to carry you with Jack and Michael in the back making sure you didn’t fall off. There. Now shut the fuck up and go to sleep.”  
And with that, their conversations were ended until morning.  
  
Morning wasn’t much better. At breakfast, Geoff had gestured them over again but the tension was still thick. Jack and Ryan were visibly ignoring Geoff and only occasionally paying attention to Michael, who seemed about as lost as the two of them.  
Geoff, who was definitely a lot more down than the previous day, was quick to divert any conversation to Gavin and Ray once they arrived.  
  
“So, Gav and Ray, what do you two do for fun?” Geoff asked, leaning forward expectantly and therefore leaning further from Jack and Ryan next to him.  
Ray and Gavin shrugged, Ray speaking up for the both of them once they realised neither of them wanted to particularly talk, feeling awkward with all the high tensions.  
“I, uh, got a DS that I play with. Gavin and I dick around on that a lot, I guess. Gav’s really into cinematography, so that’s cool.” Ray seemed to curl a little more in on himself once he realised all the other boys attention was on him as well.  
  
Jack was quick to pounce on the conversation, turning to Gavin and smiling. “Cinematography, hey? You’re fitting right in. Any sort of specific aspect in it you like?”  
Gavin grinned sheepishly, contemplating whether it was worth telling the guys and geeking out on them and boring them. He realised they would probably welcome it against the tension, though, so he was quick to answer. “Slow motion, actually, I think that’s top.”  
  
Michael scoffed and was about to say something, probably about how he was butchering the English language, but Ryan stepped in, “Slow motion? Never really heard much of that one.”  
  
Gavin shrugged, his hands wringing together nervously as he realised he would probably have to explain his whole fascination with it, “I mean, it’s just really bloody cool, y’know? Like, seeing all those top action scenes is cool and all, but what about a moment in the scene where everything just slows down and you get to experience more details of the fights. Seeing other things would be cool, like what a face would look like while being slapped or punched or hit really hard with somethi… Ah, sorry, rambling on like a pleb.”  
  
Geoff waved away the concerns, looking genuinely interested in the conversation. Gavin decided to continue, “I haven’t got a chance to look into it much. Dan gave me a few ideas which were cool and all-”  
“Dan?” Ray asked, his head tilting a little.  
  
“He was my roommate before you, left just before you came in. The prick left me here after being the only person who didn’t tell me to ‘shut up’... much.” Gavin explained.  
“Ah, so he’s the man everyone’s been mentioning with the name ‘Gavin’. Thought I heard it earlier. Dan the man, hey? Gotta meet him now.” Ray decided, seemingly making an inward promise with himself to do so.  
  
Gavin shook his head, “I don’t know where he is. He got adopted so he could be bloody anywhere. Also, people are mentioning my name?”   
Ray grinned and shrugged innocently, mentioning no more. Gavin huffed in annoyance as the other boys laughed quietly at his confusion.  
  
Breakfast ended with one of the head staff calling them all to attention, splitting them into two groups. They were grouped off in last name alphabetical order, meaning Gavin was grouped with Ryan and Michael, the two of which liked him the least it seemed. He frowned a little but didn’t let the disappointment show, just getting up and putting his plate in the designated area before standing in the section he was split off into.  
  
He stood next to Michael and Ryan, noticing with horror that two of the three ‘villains’ were also in the group, standing closely behind them. He quickly turned and faced the front, steadying his breathing and attempting to relax his wings that had began to spread at the recognition of the threat.  
  
At least Michael hadn’t seemed to notice them, as Gavin was pretty sure that he would start a fight as soon as he saw them. Unease was growing among the kids as none of them seemed to know why they were being split off into sections and what was about to happen. Group activities were offered to the kids that wanted to participate in them and that’s immediately what Gavin assumed it would be, only compulsory.  
  
If only that was it. His section had been lead down a hallway, Gavin taking in the way Michael and Ryan seemed to be the only ones out of the kids to know where they were going, if their suddenly tense muscles and agitated tails had any say. Gavin didn’t get a chance to ask, as they were all lead into a big room and told to sit quietly.  
  
The first alphabetically ordered kid was called out of the room, each other kid trying to understand what was going on by trying to follow where the kid was going but having no luck. Michael, unfortunately, seemed to catch a glance of the ‘villains’ from earlier, his tail suddenly flickering in agitation and his ears standing up in caution. Gavin took a bit of comfort in the way that Michael shuffled a bit closer to Gavin, Ryan quickly following the lead as he caught sight of the other guys.  
  
The other guys were looking directly at Gavin, whose breath hitched and he couldn’t help the way that his wings spread slightly, the action not going unnoticed by Michael and Ryan. They glanced at him in concern and Gavin just shook his head, trying to warn them that starting anything would be a very bad idea.  
  
One of the ‘villains’ were called out of the room, leaving the fox hybrid ‘villain’ to stare at Gavin all on his own as one-by-one kids began to leave the room. Gavin was glad to realize his name was close to being called out, then panicked at the thought that wherever he went after he was called up, he would be alone with possibly the other Predator that had left earlier.  
  
His name was eventually called and he stood up from his seat, Michael and Ryan acting like they wanted to follow. He smiled widely at them, trying to reassure them he would be fine. Ryan’s name was right after his, so what was the worst that could really happen?  
  
He was escorted by a young lady with very formal clothing, who looked at her clipboard for the whole duration of the trip and barely paid any attention to him. At one point he even doubted she knew where they were going because she had only ever been looking at the clipboard.  
  
As soon as Gavin saw the door, he was immediately filled with dread. It had a gold text sticker on the door, reading ‘NURSE’S OFFICE.’ The escort lady opened the door for him and gestured for him to walk in and wait on the plastic chair next to the door.  
  
The escort lady left, leaving Gavin to sit awkwardly in the hard chair and watch as the nurse finished up with the previous kid who was sitting on top of a metal table. The nurse smiled at him kindly and gestured him out, and Gavin only got a glimpse of the escort outside the door leading the kid away.  
  
“Mr. Free? Ah yes, you. Got a nice concussion, you did, truly. You’re lucky though, hybrids always seem to heal over the more minor injuries a hell of a lot quicker than us normal folk. Alright, come sit up here on this table.”  
  
He did as he was told, gritting his teeth as he felt the cold metal hit his skin. “So what’s happening now is a couple of shots. For sickness, really, because if one of youse catch anything then I guarantee every other person in the orphanage will get it not a day later. Alright, so it’s two shots for today, think you’re okay with that?”  
Gavin frowned, staring at the needle she now had in her hands. “Will it hurt?” He asked, his voice surprisingly quiet.  
  
She winced a little in sympathy, “sorry kiddo, it will. But not as much as those other two kids that hurt you, let me promise.” They shared a smile at that, and she began to distract him by telling him some silly stories as she jabbed the needle into his skin. He flinched, scrunching his eyes a little at the pain.  
  
It was over quickly, the cotton wool taped to his arm sooner than he realised. He noticed that his eyes had been scrunched shut for the whole time, so when he opened them he was surprised to see Ryan sitting in the plastic chair where he had sat earlier. Both the boys shared a little smile, Ryan however looking a little nervous.  
  
Gavin flashed the nurse a smile and skipped over to Ryan, patting him on the back and reassuring him it wouldn’t hurt as much as he thought. He opened the door to find another escort waiting for him, who was quick to usher him down the halls and back into the mess hall room.  
  
He was quick to spot the other ‘villain’, who was sitting with a few other kids but still managed to seem excluded from their group. Gavin quickly sat down on another table, his fingers drumming against the wood of the table as he waited for Ryan to reappear.  
  
Thankfully, Ryan was right on time. Gavin had been keeping an eye on the ‘villain’ in the corner of his eyes, Ryan just stepping up to him right before the kid seemed to get up to come annoy him.  
  
Gavin flashed Ryan a relieved grin, and they joked about how both of them were just being absolute wimps with the needles and both wondered how the other boys would react to getting them done. Gavin asked if Ryan knew where the other section of kids were, but he didn’t seem to have an idea.  
  
The game of ‘would you rather’ was growing between them, Gavin finding amusement in the way Ryan would immediately get frustrated and try to argue on his every point. Even after they seemed to have dropped the game, Ryan and Gavin continued to disagree on their points and continued arguing right until Michael walked up.  
  
“That fucking sucked.” He stated, flopping down onto the table and looking at his arm with the taped cotton. The other two nodded in agreement at that, the first thing they seemed to have agreed on in a while.  
Quickly, Michael was brought into the arguments and both of them tried to use him to their advantage. Neither of them got what they wanted, both of them earning a glare and a “shut the absolute fuck up you two, you’re arguing like a fucking married couple or something.”  
  
Eventually the last of the kids from the section walked in and they were all made to line up and were lead outside to the backyard area with only a small pond at the far back area and some sports equipment.   
The other section was outside and they were lead inside once the other section arrived. Gavin just caught sight of the others, who had definitely taken notice of the taped cotton balls onto the kid’s arms and seemed a little cautious. Geoff looked a little pissed if anything.  
  
Michael, Ryan and Gavin entertained themselves as they waited for the other section to be finished. Finally, Gavin got the guts to ask what had been on his mind for the past day.  
“So, uh, what’s up with all the tension?”  
Michael and Ryan looked at eachother, Michael shaking his head while Ryan seemed to argue against him silently. Eventually Ryan sighed and turned to Gavin, but seemed to be keeping a careful eye on Michael.  
  
“It’s, uh, nothing really. Well I mean it’s something, but it’s nothing to you. Jack was about to say something, Geoff stopped the something and now we’re all arguing over if he should’ve stopped Jack from saying the something or if we should’ve let him.” Ryan explained, seeming to grow a little nervous.  
  
“Alright, what’s the something?” Gavin asked, leaning forward with interest as Ryan seemed to back away a little.  
  
“None of your damn business, that’s what.” Michael snapped, and Gavin immediately recoiled and curled his wings around him defensively, muttering out an apology for being so nosy.  
Michael sighed, “Sorry Gavvers. It’s just that we’re all a little wound up about it. See I think that Geoff is wrong, but I don’t want to say anything against him. He’s sorta the boss, y’know? Ryan and Jack don’t like it though, so it sort of leaves us in an awkward position.”  
  
Gavin nodded, uncurling from his defensive position and grinning, “Well whatever’s up with everyone really shouldn’t let me affect it. I mean, I’m probably the cause right? I don’t want to be the reason you guys fight, and I know Ray feels like that as well. So if you guys could knock off the fighting and stop acting like awkward spaffs and just forget about the whole something, that’d be top.”  
  
Michael rolled his eyes, muttering that it really wasn’t as easy as that, _but whatever, they’d try to fix it._   
Ryan remained silent while Michael talked, his hands wringing nervously as he seemed to contemplate if he should talk or not. He decided not to, instead asking something else. “Did either of them bother you?” He asked, his eyes glancing over at the two predators in their section.  
  
Gavin shook his head, “my, uh, instincts are still a little frayed so I’m still on edge with them, but they’ve done nothing but stare. So no, neither of them bothered me I guess.”   
Ryan nodded, relieved at the answer. He knew that Gavin and Ray hanging around Geoff and the others would only do so much before the other guys got bold and made a move on either Gavin or Ray, however the more likely target was the former. He could tell Michael felt the same way, keeping a careful eye on the two Predators in the corner of their eyes. Michael’s protective instincts only went so far though, as he was quick to slap Gavin upside the head whenever he said something dumb and looked about ready to tackle the bird hybrid before the other section joined them outside.  
  
Geoff and Jack looked a bit worried, but cleared their features of any trace of worry as soon as they caught sight of the three. Geoff and Jack were still tense and Ryan sighed a little at it but let it slide so he could deal with it when they were all in private.  
They were served lunch not long after, Geoff carefully watching all the staff. Once he seemed satisfied all of them were where he wanted them to be, he leaned forward and quickly silenced any conversation in their group.  
  
“Alright assholes, we gotta change our plans a little. These injections? I’m pretty positive they’re not just flu injections or whatever the fuck they said. They could be anything: trackers, a new little experiment on hybrid parts or basically fucking anything that will probably ruin our plans for a while.”  
  
“Your plan sucked to begin with,” Gavin pointed out, shrugging off the glare Geoff gave him, “I mean, what if you donuts got caught? You’d be sent back. You’d probably be put in prison, for Christ’s sake. What if your outside sources fail to pull off the plan? There are so many things wrong in that plan I’m amazed you even think it’s an option.”   
All the others seemed a little shocked at Gavin’s outburst and he realised just how dumb it was to stand up against the ‘leader’. He needed these guys on his side for God’s sake, it wouldn’t do him any good if he pissed them off.  
  
Geoff seemed ready to argue, leaning forward as Gavin shrunk back. The older teen then seemed to come to a realisation, instantly losing his focus in Gavin and thinking. The others didn’t dare to speak, waiting for Geoff to reveal whatever he had realised.  
  
“Someone escaped.” He declared, his voice hushed as he carefully watched all the staff and other kids. “Must’ve been recent and they’re keeping it well under wraps. But don’t you guys notice the double security now? The newly installed cameras? I thought they were just getting an upgrade, but now that I think about it I’m pretty sure there’s a few missing from that group over there.” His eyes flickered in the direction of a fairly large group taking up a good size of one of the tables. The group had many older teens, ranging from about 15-18.  
  
Everyone looked at him in surprise, wondering how the hell he concluded such a thing. Geoff continued despite the disbelief hanging around them, “I’m pretty sure they have trackers on us now. They can’t take the risk of losing some more kids- after all, wouldn’t it be a good excuse for more political bullshit? Blame America for losing the kids, or inhumanely killing or experimenting on them. The amount of media stories that would come out of it once they find out they lose any more kids… It’s now a fuck load harder to get out of here.”  
  
The solemn mood hung around for a long time after that.Gavin and Ray were lying in bed, kicked out of Geoff’s dorm after Jack decided to finally say the group needed to talk without Ray and Gavin in the room. Ray had been playing his DS for a while, but once Gavin saw the light that was dimly illuminating the room switch off, he immediately assumed Ray was going to sleep.  
  
So it shocked him, when almost half an hour later, Ray whispered out into the darkness.  
  
“Hey Gav?” He asked, his voice layered with tiredness.  
“Yeah?” Gavin replied, his voice a little louder and clearer.   
“You got an extra blanket or something? I’m fucking freezing up here, can’t sleep it’s so damn cold.”  
  
“No, I don’t, sorry… Wait. Do you wanna share?” There was easily room for both of them if they squeezed together, and honestly Gavin was pretty cold as well and he didn’t see anything wrong with sharing a bed and blankets.  
  
“No homo?” Ray joked, but was quick to get off his bed. The springs above him creaked and Gavin couldn’t help but imagine the bed collapsing on top of him.  
“Yeah yeah no homo or whatever. Here, climb down and bring your blanket.” Gavin moved to the side of the bed without the wall- he’d need the edge of the bed so that his wings could relax onto the floor.  
  
“Awh fuck.” Ray harshly whispered, stopping in his climbing.  
“What?”  
“I’m halfway down and forgot the blanket.”  
  
“You donut, here just climb down, I got an idea anyway.” Gavin muttered, questioning if Ray would be comfortable with the idea. Ray got down and crawled over him, slipping under the blanket next to him.   
“I, uh, sometimes use my wings as blankets when it’s really cold. You don’t mind, do you?” Gavin hesitantly asked, prepared for the probable rejection.  
  
Ray, however, surprised him by going “fuck no.” Gavin grinned into the darkness and turned onto his stomach, his wing stretching over Ray and covering him as best he could. Immediately, Gavin could feel the extra body warmth heating him up and he snuggled deeper into the bed, glad the chill was fading.  
Ray mumbled a “you’re the best, Vav,” before he was asleep and Gavin was right behind him.  
  
Waking up was not so pleasant. The air still had a bit of an unnatural chill and neither of the boys were willing to move from the warm bed, despite the persistent knocking and yelling behind the door. Eventually Gavin yelled out, “Yeah yeah, we’re up!” which seemed to satisfy the worker as they moved onto the next door.  
  
With a groan, Gavin reluctantly slid his wing off Ray who was dramatically trying to get it back as he suffered a huge loss of warmth. Gavin was usually the one of them to get them both up, so he decided it was no different as he rolled out of bed and landed on the floor with a thunk. He sighed, pushing himself up and turning to grab the blankets off Ray who immediately cried out and tried to curl in on himself to keep some of the warmth.  
  
“Come on you tosser, we gotta get up for breakfast.”  
That one worked a treat. Ray was up considerably fast, dressed well before Gavin who had to bind down his wings as both of his wing-customized shirts were ridiculously dirty and he had forgotten to put them in the wash. He really needed to ask for some more shirts.  
  
The binding was uncomfortable and he winced when Geoff nudged him a little too hard once he sat down on the table with his breakfast. Geoff was immediately frowning, looking at Gavin suspiciously and then seeming to click it into place.  
  
“Where are your normal shirts?” He asked, Gavin shrugging and replying he hadn’t washed them. Geoff nudged him harder for that one, claiming he was a total dumbass.  
That was the only real friendly conversation. The tension was even thicker than the day before and Gavin was just about ready to have a go at all of them before Ray stepped up.  
“So I’m usually not one to address the elephant in the room, no offence to Henry over there who really is part elephant, but what the fuck is up all your assholes?”  
  
The guys seemed shock that Ray had called them out on it while Gavin was glad. Geoff glanced at Jack and they seemed to have a silent conversation before Geoff threw his hands up in defeat.  
  
Realising they had won the conversation, Jack and Ryan seemed to have no idea what to do now that they had done so. They looked warily at each other and frowned before turning to both Ray and Gavin.  
  
“Look, we’ll talk about it in private in Geoff’s dorm later. I’m pretty sure the time between now and lunch is dedicated to privately learning our, uh, schooling abilities. I’m pretty sure classes are going to start soon and I think they want to see where everyone stands.” Ryan said, glancing over at the kids who were beginning to be selected for the private meetings.  
  
Gavin wasn’t chosen to do the private meeting for that day, looking at the newly put-up poster that showed the meeting schedules. The only one from their group who had a meeting was Jack, and they all promised to meet up in Geoff’s room after Jack was done.  
  
At one point Gavin had sought out Mr. Forrester and had asked for more shirts, which the man gave him. He gave him another two and promised he would order some more and give them to Gavin once they came in.  
  
Lunch passed slowly, the tension at its highest point as they all waited for the discussion. Gavin and Ray had tried to guess, but neither of them could really come up with any good answers except, “they’re probably all fucking each other,” courtesy of Ray, and “they’re probably going to escape this week,” from Gavin.  
  
Geoff was the first to kick off the private meeting. “Alright, so I obviously didn’t wanna tell you two assholes this, but Jack and Ryan think it’s better if you know. I think it’s going to scare both of you but you may as well know now, I suppose or whatever.” He took a deep breath, seeming to doubt himself on his next words. “See, uh, it’s not just me and Jack…”  
  
Ray and Gavin didn’t catch on, their heads tilting in confusion before Jack stepped in, “Uh, basically, it’s not just Geoff and I dating. Ryan and Michael are also dating… uh, us.”  
It took them a few more minutes before they came to realisation. Ray jumped up from his seat on the bed and yelling at Gavin, “I fucking told you they were fucking each other! Holy _shit_!”  
  
The other guys definitely did not expect that reaction, each of them at loss for words. Gavin was right with them, his mouth opening and closing uselessly without a word. “So, you… all… all of you are dating… together?” He finally managed to ask, Ryan nodding at him.  
  
“We figured you may as well know now instead of finding out by the rumours or whatever else. We just… figured it was better if you knew sooner.” Ryan clarified, shrugging sheepishly.  
  
Gavin wasn’t sure his mind wrapped around it properly, but he was slowly nodding in show that he understood when he really didn’t.   
“I thought you two would be scared off. I mean, you looked pretty shocked at just me and Jack.” Geoff reasoned, his hand scratching behind his neck.  
  
Ray calmed down considerably, asking casually, “scared off from what? I don’t think either of us care if you’re all banging-”  
“We’re not actually banging,” Ryan pointed out, “I mean kissing and shit yeah but banging would be a little too obvious and loud with these fuckers.”  
  
Gavin just looked on in disbelief. He knew he didn’t have an issue with it, hell the only thing he really had an issue with was that he wasn’t part of it. It made him jealous to not be a part of some close relationship. It made him feel like a third wheeler… _fifth wheeler, whatever_.  
  
The tension disappeared and they were all shifting back to normality, however Gavin stayed a little reserved from them. Ryan picked up on it, moving towards him and standing next to him.  
  
“Are you really okay with us?” Ryan asked quietly, trying to avoid bringing attention towards both of them. Gavin nodded, “I’m okay with it. Just didn’t really expect Ray to actually be right at something, y’know?”  
  
“Hey, we’re not banging so I’m pretty sure he isn’t correct,” Ryan pointed out and both of them laughed, “Besides, isn’t underage banging illegal?”   
Gavin pointed accusingly at him, “Like escaping into America isn’t.”  
Ryan shrugged, “Guilty.”  
  
They continued to talk and tease each other, Gavin quickly becoming more and more comfortable with the situation. He opened up to the bigger conversation in the room and soon found himself easily fitting right in despite what he had been told. Ray was the same, joking and dicking around with the guys seemingly even better than before.  
Dinner rolled around quickly and Gavin could sense the confidence in the air around them. He was pretty sure it was because they had finally told Gavin and Ray, who were completely fine with it, and were now confident about the relationship. Gavin began to take more notice of the lingering touches between them, the secretive promises and love.   
Once dinner was finished and Ray and Gavin were back in their dorm, they discussed quietly in the shared bed. After finding out that Gavin was a brilliant blanket, Ray refused to sleep on his top bunk and so sleeping together had just become normal between them.  
  
“Are you really okay with them?” Ray asked hesitantly, rolling over to face Gavin.   
Gavin thought about it for a little and then smiled, “Yeah, I’m fine with it. You?”  
  
Ray smiled back, Gavin seeing it even in the darkness. “I’m cool with it. I think it’s kinda cool, really. I wonder what it’d be like in bed though…”  
“Ray!” Gavin laughed, slapping him lightly with the wing being used as a blanket. Ray mumbled an innocent “what?” between laughs.   
Gavin really couldn’t stop himself from wondering what a relationship would be like with six.  
  
Ryan was right to be cautious. Only a couple of days after revealing the relationship, four more Predators attacked Gavin and Ray.

They had been walking back to their dorm when two of the Predators, the fox and a new guy who looked to be some sort of exotic animal, like a panda or some other rare animal, stepped in front of them and the other two from the earlier incident stepped behind them, effectively boxing in Gavin and Ray.

Ray threw his hands up, "Hey guys, nice to see all of you," His tone was friendly but Gavin saw the way his ears twitched in nervousness, "we just wanna get back to our beds and sleep, so if we could just get through you guys that would be great."

The fox folded his arms and Ray and Gavin stepped back out of instinct. Gavin cursed his natural instincts, knowing he was only feeling threatened because these guys were natural predators.

"I don't think so, faggots."

Both of them froze at that word, the instinct to flee from the guy becoming overwhelming. They went to turn only to meet the snarls of the guys now in front of them.

Gavin's wings stretched out threateningly, knowing that was probably a stupid idea but his focus was to protect Ray. If he could get their attention on him, then maybe Ray could escape. Gavin was fine with taking a few hits as long as Ray stayed unharmed.

"Oh look at this little birdy, trying to be all tough. Alright then, let's dance." The hyena hybrid sneered, stepping closer to Gavin who stepped in front of Ray to shield him.

Gavin was sure he would be overpowered again easily, but this time he was determined. He had Ray to protect, he had to make sure they didn't hurt Ray.

"Gavin!" Ray called out as one of them advanced towards the two.

"Because of you and your little gang, we're getting sent back with two hundred hours of community service. Do I look like I give a shit about helping the community? If you just let us kick the shit out of you quietly, we wouldn't be here to fucking kill you and your little buddy."

Gavin could hear Ray sharply inhale and Gavin could only think of one solution that could possibly stop what was about to happen. Gavin turned his head, grinning with false confidence. "I'll hold them, you go get Geoff."

Ray looked like he was about to argue but finally nodded and Gavin turned back to face the two grinning Predators in front of him. The first one went to attack and Gavin managed to dodge it, usually his wings as his greatest defence and offence.

Ray bolted past him and Gavin managed to stop a guy from grabbing him by throwing up his wing as a protective screen. He hissed in pain as sharp nails scraped across his feathers, but he was fine with a few scratches because Ray had managed to quickly get out of range.

One of the guys went to pursue him and Gavin focused his attention on him. He could keep up with the two, but once two became four Gavin could tell he was screwed.

They advanced on him quickly, Gavin managing to hold them off for a little by dodging and blocking. He knocked down a guy behind him with a powerful swing by his wing, but in doing so left his side open for attack. A punch was swiftly dealt to his ribs and he gasped as he lost his air, stumbling backwards and nearly falling.

The guys had been cautious at first at seeing that Gavin could fight back, but after seeing him slow considerably their confidence grew.

Gavin tried to hold onto his defence but he quickly crumbled, his wings curling around himself to absorb some of the blows.

A few made their way past his wing defences before they all stopped. Gavin looked up timidly in time to see Michael brutally tackle the panda hybrid.

The others were quick to back off, but the fox hybrid kept up the snarky behaviour. "Oh look, the faggot gang. What'cha gonna do, fuck me?" He cruelly laughed.

And that's when Jack roared.

It wasn't some sort of gentle roar that Gavin expected. No, it was terrifying and blood-chilling and Gavin swore to himself he would never piss Jack off to the point he roared. Immediately the others stood down, knowing they had just severely pissed off the top of the food chain.

They attempted to run, but were caught by Geoff, Ryan and Jack. Michael still had the panda guy pinned under him and Gavin could swear he saw the guy's face pale when Michael whispered something in his ear.

Ray helped him up and he tried to hold back a wince. It was hard to breathe and his whole body was sore, but he was fine with it because at least Ray was unharmed. Ray pulled him into a hug, but pulled back after realising Gavin was in pain. Ray mumbled a 'thank you' before he was signalled over by Geoff, leaving Gavin to stand on his own.

He swayed a little but remained on his feet, watching as Ray and Geoff quickly talked and Ray bolted down the hall. Jack kept a firm grip on his guy, the hyena, but tried to make sure Gavin was okay. Gavin really wasn't sure if he was and knew he was probably in for a trip to the nurse.

Ray only confirmed it, walking back to the group with the nurse and two other workers behind him. The nurse made her way over to Gavin, and the two workers rounded up the four Predators and lead them off.

The nurse was quick to notice his shortness of breath and immediately was checking over his chest area. He gasped in pain when she pushed on his left side and she frowned, gently poking it a little more and watching his breathing. Once she seemed to be satisfied with it she moved over to his other parts. She made him sit down against the wall once realising he was swaying dizzily and she asked for permission before checking over his wings.

Judging by her facial expressions, he probably wasn't doing too good.

Finally, she seemed to be done. The other guys had crowded around, all of them seeming to be absolutely livid and were waved off by the nurse to give him some room.

She stood up, sighing and shaking her head. "I'm pretty sure you have a broken rib or two and some serious scratches on your wings which will hurt for a while. You got plenty of bruises to add on top of last times bruises. I gotta walk you back to the infirmary and patch you up as much as I can and give you some painkillers. Boys, head back to your dorms. Actually, you, rabbit-boy, you come with us."

Getting up from the floor was the worst, the pain in his chest dramatically flaring up and he clenched his fists, trying to breathe through clenched teeth. Ray helped him walk down to the infirmary, all the while thanking Gavin.  
  
The nurse sat Gavin down on the metal table and searched through the cabinets for whatever medical supplies she needed. Ray jumped up to sit beside him, the nurse glancing at him and rolled her eyes as she finally seemed to find what she was looking for. She handed him a box of painkillers and a cup of water.  
  
“Paracetamol should help with the pain. Take one now, then one when you wake up and then read the instructions for your next dose. You,” she pointed to Ray, “make sure he follows the instructions. Once you run out, come back to me for more. It’s going to take a few weeks to heal and breathing will be painful for quite a while, so take it easy. No tackling or rough play.”  
  
She bandaged a few of his cuts and rubbed some sort of cream on his bruises and he smiled gratefully at her and she ushered them off to their dorm once he took the painkillers.  
“Seriously Vav, what you did back there was so cool, saving my cotton-tailed ass and all. Thanks dude.” Ray whispered, careful not to wake any sleeping kids as they headed back to their dorm.  
  
They grinned at each other and Gavin replied by saying “I’d do it again, don’t want a single hair on your rabbit head to be touched.” They laughed and entered their dorm, Ray hesitating once he took a step inside.  
  
“Look, dude, if you want to just have the bottom bunk to yourself for tonight that’s totally cool by me, I mean you probably want to have as much room as possible and stuff, so I’ll just go back on the top for tonight if you want.” Ray said, his voice quick and rushed as he spoke. Gavin grinned, shaking his head and grabbing the boy’s wrist and pulling him over to the bed.  
  
Ray flashed him a hesitant glance before he crawled in, putting his glasses on the dresser at the end of the bed and getting under the blankets and holding them up for Gavin. Gavin winced a little as he got into the bed, his chest still hurting despite the painkillers. Breathing was thankfully a lot easier at least, but he wasn’t looking forward to waking up tomorrow with his sore body.  
  
Gavin tenderly stretched a wing over Ray to act like a blanket, it wasn’t as scratched up as the other one so it definitely wasn’t as painful, but it still felt like stretching out a bruised limb.   
Gavin wasn’t really sure, but he was pretty sure at one point while he was half-asleep, Ray had entangled his hand in his own and squeezed gently, causing Gavin to fall asleep at the reassuring contact.  
  
When he woke, his hand was no longer entangled with Ray’s and Gavin wondered if the contact had ever truly happened. He responded to the voice at the door before beginning his usual morning routine- rolling out of bed.  
  
That wasn’t the best of ideas, to say the least. He gasped in pain as he landed on the floor, his chest hurting like hell along with the rest of his body. The gasp woke Ray up and he scurried to the edge of the bed, calling him an ‘idiot’ before grabbing his glasses and helping Gavin up carefully. He passed Gavin the painkillers and a bottle of water, Gavin downing it quickly and hoping they kicked in as soon as possible.  
  
Getting dressed sucked. The shirt was a nightmare, trying to slide it over his head and biting his lip in pain as his chest flared up. His wings springed out through the hole in his shirt and he was glad that he didn’t have to bind them for now as that would just be extremely painful.  
  
When Ray and Gavin stepped out of the room, they were greeted by four guys hovering around the door. Gavin was grabbed by Jack, who looked him over carefully and stared at his chest like he could see the injury through his shirt and skin. Gavin smiled reassuringly, but it still didn’t stop the worry from Jack or the others.  
  
Once Jack had been pulled away by Geoff, he was swarmed by the others. Geoff gave him a quick once-over, cursing the four assholes that had done the injuries, however Michael swore more about them. Ryan gave him a careful glance and Gavin shrugged, trying to avoid all the sudden attention.  
  
They walked to breakfast, the four boys making a protective circle around Ray and Gavin. The two of them weren’t sure if the guys were doing it intentionally or subconsciously, but they were secretly glad for the protection. They walked into the mess hall, the stares and whispers of gossip not bothering them in the slightest.  
  
Even at the table, Gavin and Ray were protected. They were squashed together, the guys on each side of them. Conversation continued as normal once Gavin thanked all of them and all the guys were reassured that Gavin wasn’t in extreme pain.  
Geoff and Michael looked disappointed about the no-tackling rule though.  
  
A worker approached them, gesturing Gavin and Ray over. The guys shared nervous glances but eventually the two got up and followed the worker.   
“Gavin Free and Ray Narvaez Jr, correct?” The worker asked, gesturing them into an office.  
They both nodded and sat stiffly on the seats facing the desk, where the worker sat behind.  
  
“You were both going to do your testing today, but we understand if you would wish to postpone it because of the recent events. You can be given another two days, but by then we must have your testing done for schooling.”  
  
Ray and Gavin sighed a breath of relief, both agreeing to it. Procrastinating any work sounded like a good idea to them. “Mr Narvaez, if you could stay behind please. Mr Free, you may leave. I do believe they are doing a sport session in the backyard.”  
  
Gavin stood a little shakily, nodding and turning to leave. Ray threw him a nervous glance but Gavin gave him a thumbs up in hope of rising his confidence.   
The outside sport session was a flop. He wasn’t allowed to participate in the games because of his recent injuries, but he noticed smugly that the Predators who had attacked him weren’t out on the field either. He heard rumours that they were being flown back and Gavin couldn’t help but hope that was true.  
  
By the end of the session, Ray still hadn’t appeared. Gavin caught up with the other boys and told them what he was doing with the worker, Geoff nodding in sympathy, “The testing is a bitch. I’ve barely been to school in my life and I could barely understand shit.”

“I don’t they expect much,” Jack reasoned, “After all, I don’t think any of these kids have ever properly gone to school.”  
They all agreed on that, spending the rest of the afternoon hanging out in the Mess Hall and waiting for lunch. Gavin was worried about the lack of Ray, but finally the boy made himself known just in time for lunch.  
  
Unfortunately, Ray brought different news.  
He broke it to them much like the way Dan had, announcing that he was being under review and would possibly be adopted in a month’s time. Gavin’s stomach had dropped and he had clenched his fists, pushing his lunch away as he lost his appetite.  
  
Ray tried to explain it as best as he could. They had picked him because he seemed to be the perfect age for the couple. The couple being a man and a woman with a fairly decent background, living in the city on a regular wage and couldn’t have their own kids.  
  
Ray seemed about as happy about it as the rest of them, his frustration clear as he spoke.  
  
“I tried to reject it,” Ray mumbled after a minute of silence, “but they wouldn’t let me. Try it, they said. If any issues arise I can come right back. However, it’s required I meet them whenever they come to visit, which was apparently last week. Did any of you see them? Because I sure as hell did not.”  
  
Geoff had whispered something in Jack’s ear, the man looking uncertainly at Geoff before nodding solemnly. Geoff was quick to change the topic after that, announcing he had a whole new stack of game release titles to share.  
No one really bothered to listen.  
  
That night, Ray held his hand again. He had slowly moved his hand and had slowly moved Gavin’s up so his could slip under and curl around his. It was a tighter grip than before, like Ray was trying to hold onto him like Gavin was his life force.  
  
Gavin knew it wasn’t a dream. He was awake, his mind refusing to go to rest and deciding to torment him. It was probably going to be a one to two hour sleep night, unfortunately.  
  
He was pretty sure Ray didn’t know he was awake and he made no indication to suggest otherwise. Ray shuffled a little closer to him, their hands still connected and Gavin couldn’t help but feel comforted by the contact.  
  
He knew he had a thing for guys and had accepted it a long time ago. Still, he was still a little shocked to realise that he was definitely beginning to feel something for Ray. Maybe he always had, maybe he was only just accepting it now.  
  
Either way, he knew it could probably never happen. He didn’t even know if Ray liked him or not, the whole ‘holding hands’ thing could simply just be some sort of comfort to him and completely platonic in a friendship sort of way.  
His heart sank a little at the thought of that, though.   
  
The next morning, Gavin was still awake. He had only just gotten about an hour and a half of sleep before he was cruelly awoken by his mind. He had drifted in and out for a while, but he could never really sleep. When he saw the first cracks of dawn come through, he slowly took his hand out of Ray’s, knowing if they were connected it would probably be awkward for Ray in the morning who still thought that Gavin didn’t know about it.  
  
The next day, Ray and Gavin were forced to sit the testing despite meaning to have another day. Gavin stared at half the questions in frustration, his wings flexing and curling in in agitation as he tried to think of answers to questions he had never learned. Both he and Ray had handed the sheet in with defeat, Ray admitting he had wrote ‘YOLO’ for more than one question.  
  
The next few days, Gavin could tell there was something happening. Geoff was keeping more of an eye out, warily staring at workers and doors. Ryan also seemed to be concentrating on something most of the time, brushing off Gavin’s attempts to ask what he was thinking so hard about. In fact, all of them had brushed Gavin off when he tried to ask what was going on. He was getting annoyed with them, beginning to share his worries with Ray alone.  
  
Ray had at first stated he hadn’t noticed anything up, but finally admitted that he noticed something up when Gavin went for testing. Both he and Gavin tried to figure out what was happening, but frustratingly they could never seem to find out.  
  
Jack was the first to hint them at something, caving under the puppy dog eyes both Ray and Gavin gave him. He said they were trying to figure out something as soon as possible, but that’s all he gave them.  
  
Things at night with Ray seemed to move a little faster at least.  
  
One night, Gavin decided to squeeze back on Ray’s hand. Ray had seemed shocked, whispering cautiously.  
“Vav?” His voice was hoarse, probably had been right on the edge of sleep before Gavin had squeezed his hand.  
“Sup, X-Ray?” Gavin replied casually, his voice a low whisper.  
  
Silence engulfed the room again for a while, before Gavin spoke up. He wasn’t sure if Ray was awake or not, but he spoke out anyway.  
“I don’t want you to leave, Ray. I’m tired and sick of people leaving me. My family, my foster families, Dan and now you. It’s not fair, X-Ray. I can’t have my superhero partner leave me.” His voice cracked somewhere in the middle there, emotions swirling in his chest.  
  
He usually was good at pushing those feelings away, but he knew the lack of sleep was wearing him down. How was he meant to deal with Ray leaving? Ray couldn’t bloody leave him. Why the hell did everyone leave him?  
  
Ray squeezed his hand tightly, speaking down into the blankets, “I don’t want to leave, Vav. I don’t. I promise, I don’t want to leave you. And I won’t, I promise.”  
Gavin was pretty sure that Ray knew he was speaking an empty promise.  
  
They woke up with their hands entwined. At one point Gavin had managed to doze off into sleep, waking up by the daily knocker.   
Ray had grinned at him, commenting “no homo.” Gavin rolled his eyes as Ray helped him up, the usual routine ever since Gavin had rolled out of bed with his broken rib. He took another painkiller, glad to realise it was definitely not as painful as it had been and he could tell it was healing quickly.  
  
Finally, that day, the group had told them what they were up to.  
The pushed the two of them outside, seeking a corner in the yard to sit in a group.  
Geoff had spoken up first, grinning in excitement.  
  
“Alright assholes, I think it’s time you knew. We’ve been trying to work fast to make sure we get out of here before pretty-boy Ray over here is whisked away by his new family or what-the-fuck-ever. We’ve been tracking schedules, cameras, workers and we can finally start to plan it out. We only have about two weeks to do this, and we have to be careful of Ray’s family visits. The next one is tomorrow, by the way. There’s also school which may cause an issue, but we believe they’re postponing it because there’s been a huge mix up or some shit. At the most, we have a week. The outside connections are still strong and we’ve got lots of backup, but we need to get things in motion. We also have confirmation that those injections weren't trackers, at least, so that's a huge worry out the way.”  
  
Ray and Gavin stared for a while, trying to process what Geoff had just revealed. “Where are you going to go?” Gavin hissed, still cautious of the whole idea, “If you bloody donuts make one wrong move, we’re all in trouble.”  
  
Ryan waved it off, “Yes, well, that’s why we’ve been extremely careful with this whole process.”  
Gavin frowned at the nonchalant attitude, folding his arms and leaning back. “I can’t believe you sausages are doing this. What makes you think Ray’s gonna go?”  
He already knew the answer, having asked Ray himself what he would do.  
  
Ray had just shrugged, throwing his hands up and not saying a word. Gavin sighed, his wings flexing out a little to get rid of the tension he could feel building up.  
The group gave Gavin and Ray until dinner to agree whether or not they wanted to be a part of the plan.  
They didn’t really need that time though, they were both pretty sure what they were going to do, despite the concerns and risks.  
  
At dinner, the group had seemed delighted that Ray and Gavin had decided to join in with the plan. Michael fist-bumped him, smiling warmly and Gavin couldn’t help but think back to when he really only viewed Michael as a terrifying cat with rage issues.  
  
Geoff began to lay out the plan slowly. The best time was in the very early morning, about 2-5 a.m. Many of the workers couldn’t stay awake and it was always down to the skeleton crew from 12am until 6am. That was the best time.  
  
As it turned out, Ryan was insanely good with technology. If he could get into the control room of the surveillance cameras, he could set it up so that they wouldn’t be picked up by them when they planned to escape. However, there were some issues with that plan- there was always someone in that room and they didn’t like to be disturbed.  
If they managed to get that part in motion though, it should set the way for the rest of the plan. Geoff reassured them the outside contacts would pull through and would be there waiting for them at the meet-up point.  
  
Gavin and Ray had picked out a few more flaws, but they seemed easy enough to fill once Geoff explained it.  
The hardest part would be getting Ryan into that control room without being caught.  
  
Two days later, they had their one and only chance at it. At 1am, Geoff, Jack and Ryan had sneaked down to the hallway and began the mission that would affect the rest of their plans severely.

Ryan was filming from a camera in his pocket and streaming it back to his laptop, which Ray, Michael and Gavin were currently watching anxiously. Jack and Geoff nodded at each other when they reached their designated spot before their facial expressions changed and they were no longer just Jack and Geoff.  
They were now two Predators, fighting it out for the top spot. Alpha against Alpha.  
  
It was absolutely terrifying.  
  
Jack and Geoff began to fight, circling each other and growling. Geoff went in for some headbutts but was dodged quickly by Jack who swiped at the now-empty air.  
At one point during the footage, when Jack had just about nearly clawed Geoff, Ray’s hand had slipped into Gavin’s. Both of them were terrified, watching both Predators fighting setting their instincts stupidly wild. The hand contact was firm and reassuring and they began to ground themselves with it.  
  
Finally, the two brawling Predators caught the attention of the guy in the control room.They had completely forgotten that Ryan was there filming it, only remembering once he slipped quickly into the office as the man was distracted by the two fighting.   
They no longer had visual of the two fighting but could hear them through the door, Geoff and Jack making sure they lasted as a good distraction.  
  
Ryan was quick, leaving the room with accomplishment and they got visual back on Geoff and Jack who were bolting down the hallway out of the man’s grasp.  
Ryan sneaked back down, sticking into the shadows and hiding and Gavin couldn’t help but think he’d make a great assassin. Ryan managed to avoid the worker, who grumbled under his breath about the "annoying dumb ass kids."

Geoff and Jack burst into the room seconds later, grinning in achievement. Gavin's hand slipped from Ray's and he got up, jumping at Geoff and knocking the both of them over.

Geoff chuckled, pushing Gavin off of him and onto the floor, "What about no-tackling, dickhead?"

Gavin just grinned in response, both he and Geoff knowing his injury was mostly healed anyway. Besides, seeing Geoff unharmed and somehow miraculously completing the mission successfully left him so overwhelmingly excited that all the pain had seemed to disappear for that moment.

Jack helped both of them up, hushing them when they began to laugh. Ryan appeared not long after, a smile on his face and they all cheered in excitement, then quieting after remembering it was almost 2 in the morning. Geoff sent them all back to their dorms, Michael heading in the direction of Ray and Gavin.

Michael leaned over slightly to Gavin, whispering, "so you and Ray huh?"

Gavin looked strangely at him, trying to understand if he was interpreting Michael's subtle question correctly, "What, like together?" Gavin replied quietly, glancing at Ray who hadn't yet heard the conversation.

Michael nodded, nudging him with his elbow, "holding hands and everything, c'mon dude it's pretty fucking obvious."  
Gavin shook his head, "No, we're not together."

Michael scoffed, replying with a "whatever you say" before quietly walking into his dorm.  
  


When Gavin and Ray shared the bed that night, Ray quietly slipping his hand into Gavin's, Gavin really wondered if being together could be an option.

The next morning at breakfast, it was announced school would start the next day. Harsh murmuring filled the mess hall, none of the students being too excited about it. Ryan, at least, had better news. He had been able to set up his laptop with the cameras, meaning he would be able to program it when they set the plan in motion.

Gavin began to really wonder if he could follow through with it. If they were caught, Gavin was pretty sure he didn't want to face the consequences.

Ray had been called away to have another meeting with the family and Gavin began to wonder if Ray could do it either. If he began to like this family, then he could give the whole plan away and go home with his new family. Ray promised he would never do it, saying the woman was a bit too hard-assed anyway for his tastes.

Geoff began to pick up on Gavin's concern.

"What's up, bud?" He asked, the others all engaged in another conversation.

Gavin sighed, his hands wringing nervously, "My brain is just being a spaff and having doubts I guess." He told him, Geoff nodding in understanding.

"Well if it makes you feel any better, if we really are caught we were gonna make sure neither you or Ray got in trouble. You're our victims who have been kidnapped, so just act like a damsel in distress or something. Our plan is still pretty strong though, so that problem probably won't arise." Geoff explained, and a clump of doubt rose from his mind.

"Wait, why me and Ray?" Gavin asked, taking a glance at all the others.

"Because you guys are the youngest and you can easily get into a family with that cute as fuck accent. All of us have agreed with it, so you’re just going to have to suck it up and deal with it. Does that get rid of some of the doubt?” Geoff nudged him, grinning but seeming to be serious when he asked the question. Gavin nodded in response.  
Geoff announced they would be going through with the plan that week. In less than five days.  
In five days, Gavin was either going to be free or end up alone if the whole plan went wrong.  
  
Ray came back by lunch, saying it was another visit by the family. They talked a little more about the plan, revealing names from the outside they had contact with. Geoff mentioned a guy named Burnie who was basically behind the whole outside thing and had apparently been in the orphanages himself for a while before being adopted and building himself a successful video-gaming company. Gavin and Ray couldn’t believe such a thing existed.  
  
Dinner was a little more quiet, all of them wound up with their jobs. Ryan revealed that they didn’t want the two to know- the less they truly knew, the better, apparently. They would only get them involved into the plan once it was secure.  
  
That night, Ray had held his hand a little tighter.  
  
And then he did something else which Gavin did not expect. He kissed Gavin’s cheek.  
He wasn’t sure if Ray knew he was awake, but he probably could feel the warmth spreading through his cheek and his wing shifting slightly over Ray.   
He was too tired to really think much other of it, not even remembering Ray’s quiet words of “I can’t leave you” the next morning.  
  
School sucked. Gavin didn’t really remember much from it- he was never really in school long enough for it to leave an impression on him. However, the work absolutely sucked. They were crammed into a smaller room, being split by age. Ray, Gavin and Michael got to be together but Ryan, Jack and Geoff were unhappily in another class.  
  
Gavin and Michael spent the whole first two lessons annoying each other. Because of his wings, Gavin was forced to sit at the back so he wouldn’t disturb anyone behind him. However, Michael used it to his advantage and began to playfully swipe at Gavin’s wings whenever they flexed a little too far into Michael’s area.  
  
Ray fell asleep, only just waking in time for recess and lunch. Because of the different schedules, they all had their breaks on at different times so it was only The Lads. Michael had named them so, giving Ryan, Geoff and Jack the name of “The Gents.”  
  
At the end of the school day, all the students piled tiredly into the Mess Hall. They were reunited with the Gents, sitting at their usual table in defeat.  
“Geoff, you gotta get us out of here faster. I can’t deal with another day of that.” Gavin pleaded, pulling off the puppy dog eyes for effect.  
  
Geoff grinned, “Sorry kiddos, we just gotta get a couple more things set up. But I’d start packing your bags tonight, but be stealthy about it. Gav, grab some more stuff from the nurse if you can.”  
He grabbed some more painkillers from the nurse after dinner, having just run out the morning before. His rib barely hurt at all, the only pain coming from if someone whacked him particularly hard in the chest. Still, it didn’t hurt to have the painkillers to back him up a little.  
  
He got back to the dorm to see the light was still on, Ray shoving a few things into a small bag.  
“I’m just getting some things packed now, but it’s better not to be obvious. Grab the more obvious stuff on the night we actually leave.” Ray explained, passing Gavin his own bag.  
  
Gavin put in some more of his personal valuables, but he really didn’t have much. He shoved in a few clothes and custom shirts and some other personal objects, like his mother’s ring. He didn’t own much else, really.  
  
He downed one painkiller and turned off the light before getting into bed, sliding next to Ray who, now without hesitation, interlocked their fingers together.   
“So, is this some Romeo and Juliet thing? We run away together?” Ray joked.  
  
Gavin laughed, “Well, I hope we don’t end up all committing suicide. That would suck.” They both laughed at that, their hands squeezing tighter. The nights were warming up a little again, meaning it would probably get uncomfortable sharing a bed, but then Gavin remembered they probably would never see these beds again if the plan worked.  
“Hey Ray?” Gavin asked, his wing lifting from Ray as he sat up.  
  
Ray groaned a little at the loss of warmth, sitting up with Gavin and pressing the blankets close to him. Gavin slowly pulled his hand back from Ray’s, who looked at him in tired confusion.  
  
Gavin knew he couldn’t really deny it. He liked Ray. A lot. He liked the way the dork smiled whenever he beat a personal challenge in a game, whenever he laughed or said one of his well-known catchphrases. He couldn’t deny that holding hands with Ray, while stupidly cheesy, was one of the best things in the day, and his cheeks still warmed whenever he thought about Ray kissing his cheek.  
  
His hands slid up to cup Ray’s cheeks, and he slowly leaned forward. He looked at Ray seriously before leaning any further, making sure the other was okay with what he was going to do.  
Apparently, he was completely fine with it. Ray closed the distance between them, their lips pressing together and they were finally kissing.  
  
It wasn’t perfect- it was awkward and uncertain at first. Trying to see if the other would pull back. Eventually, they worked it out and it was one of the most perfect things in the world Gavin had experienced.  
Gavin pulled back first, his lack of air an issue he could only push back for so long. Ray grinned at him and Gavin grinned right back, and they knew that right there, in that moment, that they could never lose each other.  
  
The next morning at breakfast, the other boys were quick to pick up on Gavin and Ray’s flustered behaviour. Michael finally seemed to get it, whispering out an excited, “You two fuckers kissed, didn’t you?”  
  
Ray and Gavin just smiled, looking down to avoid to gazes as both of their cheeks warmed. The others all laughed and congratulated the both of them before they were signalled off to classes.  
  
There was no way Gavin could concentrate, not with Ray right beside him. All he wanted to do was to kiss him again, and eventually the urge just got so overwhelming he excused himself for the bathroom at recess, gesturing Ray to follow.  
Gavin could hear the cheeky comments from the group as he walked and flipped them off before he ducked off into a corridor. Not long after, Ray appeared and Gavin smiled sheepishly before grabbing Ray’s cheeks again and kissing him.  
  
They moved against the wall, Ray being held upright against it as Gavin attacked his mouth, exploring it as much as he could. He was pretty sure the both of them would be happy to remain that way, but Gavin sensed a presence close to them and he pulled back.  
  
Ray looked at him and pouted, but then noticed the figure leaning against the wall casually. It was Michael, who grinned and waved at them.  
  
“Oh no, don’t let me stop you two,” Michael encouraged, “after all, I came here to watch the show.”  
Ray rolled his eyes, Gavin just making a noise between a half-squawk and choke of disbelief. Michael laughed at the noise, shrugging innocently in response. “Oh c’mon, that shit was hot as fuck.”  
  
Both Gavin and Ray felt their cheeks warm in embarrassment, Gavin stepping back from Ray to give him some space. Ray followed though, stepping up close to him.  
“I don’t see why you would just watch the show though,” Ray began, avoiding the look of disbelief Gavin gave him, “when you could just join it.”  
Gavin made another noise, flabbergasted at the bluntness of it. Sure, it would definitely be a little weird kissing Michael, but he couldn’t really deny that he would really enjoy it.  
After all, he was pretty sure both he and Ray wanted to join in the big relationship, even if they never outright spoke about it.  
  
Michael just laughed, and shook his head in amusement, “Nah, Geoffery would get jealous. He called dibs on kissing Gav first. Don’t worry Ray, I called dibs on you.”   
They headed back to the table, avoiding all the questions and looks about what had just happened. Michael had promised he hadn’t touched either of them, although he admitted the thought did cross his mind.   
  
School wasn’t really that bad when Gavin was offered a distraction. It was Michael and Ray, who sat casually right beside him like they weren’t daydreaming about the three of them kissing. He knew they had to be- how could they not, after all?  
  
The rest of the day finished quickly, and once Gavin and Ray were alone in bed they decided to use the privacy to their best advantage. They weren’t really ready for anything else, so it just strictly remained to kissing. However, Gavin definitely couldn’t lie about the fact he had definitely thought about a bit more exploring.  
  
The following day, Geoff announced that it was time. He told Ray and Gavin they had to be outside their dorms at 2.25am, where the rest would be waiting. Ryan would be working his hacking skills and Jack and Geoff had pulled some other strings and had learned the route. They had even tested it before hand, promising the route was safe and that Burnie would be there to pick them up.  
  
The day couldn’t go by fast enough. The doubts began to plague Gavin, but the excitement of being able to escape the orphanage began to overwhelm any doubts.  
  
Ray and Gavin got little sleep, the alarm on Ray’s watch waking them at 2am. They grabbed all their remaining stuff- extra clothes, toothbrushes, Ray’s DS and charger. Gavin binded down his wings and Ray covered his ears with a beanie, as they had been warned by Geoff to hide their extra animal parts as they would be much easier to track that way if anyone saw them. They made sure they had grabbed everything before stepping outside at exactly 2:25 am, being greeted by the excited but cautious faces of the rest of the guys.   
Geoff covered his tattoos with a hoodie, his horns being covered by the pulled up hood. Michael, Jack and Ryan were also wearing beanies and hoodies. Gavin was glad for the extra warmth being created around his chest from his wings, as he knew that even though Austin was pretty hot, it would still be bloody cold at three in the morning.  
  
They followed behind Geoff and Jack in a single line, Ryan holding up the back as he hacked on his dull screened laptop. Once he signalled it was clear, the line moved forward by following Geoff and Jack. Each of them were as quiet as they could be, silently creeping along the halls.  
  
Soon enough, they had done it.  
  
They had passed through the normally-locked back doors in the kitchen, Gavin somehow avoiding knocking down any loud banging pots, and they were outside. Even though Gavin had been in the backyard area before, it was his first real fresh air of freedom.  
  
They climbed over the fence after a patrol guard passed, Gavin just narrowly avoiding falling back down and being caught as his balance was off-center due to his restricted wings.  
Even though they were technically outside the boundary of the orphanage, they still treaded cautiously.  
  
Burnie had meeted them, just like Geoff had promised. They had been walking for nearly an hour, following Geoff as he made his way down narrow alleys and climbed over fences. At a small secluded park waited one man, Gavin assuming to be somewhere in his early to mid twenties.  
  
The man grinned under the park light once he saw them, hugging Geoff and slapping him on the back. The talked for a little, Geoff gesturing to each of them as he introduced them. Jack and Ryan shook his hand, Michael grinning at him and Burnie grinning right back. Gavin went right for the hug.  
  
He really didn’t mean to fling himself at the man, but the realisation that this man was the reason he was now free from the life of orphanages and authority suddenly crashed into him and he was flinging himself at the man in a tidal wave of emotion.  
  
Burnie grunted a little as the Brit launched for him, preparing to be tackled or some other form of attack (after all, that’s how the first meeting with Geoff went.) So he was pleasantly surprised when the kid threw his arms around him and was thanking him over and over again. Burnie laughed, hugging him back and Gavin knew he was definitely going to like the guy.  
  
Ray was a little more timid, going for a shake but ended up in a hug anyway.   
Burnie lead them further into the park, leading them towards a small car that had absolutely no way of fitting them all. So Gavin was forced to sit on Ryan’s lap and Ray on Jack’s as they piled in.  
  
Burnie started up the car, explaining that they all better be thankful that Burnie was even up for their sorry asses, explaining it took five cups of coffee for him to at least be somewhat coherent. Gavin began to grin excitedly as he looked out the window, watching as the darkened scenery passed by then in a blur.  
  
“What’cha smiling about?” Ryan asked, leaning forward a little to whisper it in Gavin’s ear. Gavin startled at it and gave Ryan an unamused look before his grin returned.   
“I just can’t believe it, y’know? We’re finally out after all that waiting.” Gavin didn’t just mean the day leading up to it, or the week. He meant the whole years that he had been passed from orphanage to orphanage, never settling on a home.  
  
He was pretty sure that now, after all this time, he had finally got it.  
  
Burnie drove them to an office, parking and unlocking the door for it and leading them inside. “This,” Burnie gestured to the room around them, “is the Roosterteeth office. It’s small, but we’ll be moving soon as our popularity is growing. We think you guys could really help the potential of this company, but we gotta be careful about you guys with the government. I got one guy working it out for me, so it shouldn’t be an issue in hopefully less than a month. Until then, tonight you guys can crash here.”  
  
He lead them to a room where couches had been piled around, Gavin realising a couple of them would have to share. They all began to thank Burnie wildly, who waved it off and grumbled a “yeah yeah, now shut the fuck up and go to sleep, I’m going the fuck home assholes.” With that, Burnie left them alone in the office.  
  
Geoff managed to find some spare blankets from the closets and made it all a little more comfortable for all of them.  
  
“Is this really it?” Ray asked, breaking the awed silence around them.  
Geoff nodded, “I told you, videogames for a living. You guys will fit in brilliantly.”  
  
All of them were a little too excited to sleep, instead sitting on their respective couches and staring around the room in awe.  
  
At one point, Gavin noticed that Geoff was staring at him.  
“What?” He asked, shrinking a little at the gaze. Geoff smiled fondly, shaking his head slowly.  
“It’s just… you can take your wings out now.”  
  
Gavin had failed to realise the rest of them had taken off their beanies and hoodies, their animal parts exposed.   
“Is it allowed at the office?” Gavin asked, and Geoff laughed hysterically before calming himself to answer.  
“Dude, Burnie is the CEO of the company and is a hybrid. I mean, he had to hide his under the hat just in case, but he’s a bison, just so you know. So I think that answers your question.”  
  
Gavin removed the shirt and bind, going through his bag before finding the custom shirt he wanted.   
There, in that office, at 3:30 am in the morning, one of the best moments of his life was created.  
  
It got even better when Geoff kissed him.  
  
The man had walked up to him, gesturing for him to follow him to a corner of the room. Gavin followed, too tired to even consider why or be bothered by the stares following them by the others. Geoff looked at him, Gavin taking a few seconds to realise he was basically radiating waves of anxiety.  
  
“So, uh, you and Ray… we know you’re both really young and just starting your own relationship, but if you… If you want to uh… Our relationship is always open, I guess and uh, I was wondering if you would like to… maybe join us?” He began to ramble a little more but Gavin silenced him by gripping the man’s wrist and smiling.  
“I think I speak for the both of us when I say yes.”  
  
In excitement, Geoff had leaned forward and kissed him. It was quick, but it left Gavin breathless and he was grabbing the man’s shirt and pulling him forward for more almost instantly.  
  
Gavin could hear the others hollering from the couches, each of them grinning stupidly, even Ray who was now on top of Michael’s lap, and Gavin had no doubt Ray was definitely okay with it all.  
  
They didn’t really get any sleep that night, but by the time the sun had started to come up Gavin could comfortably say that he had pretty much explored and knew each of their lips like they were his own.  
  
In a couple years, Roosterteeth would be quickly known famously among the world wide internet. The six “Achievement Hunters” that were in a strong relationship would be one of the most successful branches in the company, with the additional help of some more on the side. The government was no longer an issue, a few strings being pulled here and there and they were cleared from any danger.  
  
Even with a crappy start to his life in his childhood and early teens, Gavin managed to make a job out of what he loved doing the most: video games. He also got to work right beside all five of his partners who he loved like he had loved no one else in the world, and they loved him back equally.  
  
He was glad that, while he was used to moving, he no longer had to do so. He had finally found the one thing in his life he had been searching for: A home.

**Author's Note:**

> 20,000 words.  
> I. Am. Done.  
> This is completely unedited because I am not going to bother reading over 20,000 words nope, I just hope it's somewhat coherent or something. This all started with the idea of Geoff being protective over Gavin as teenagers and I don't know what the hell happened but this happened. I wrote this in patches between school, morning training and late nights so it probably makes no sense but oh well. As usual, the paragraphing turned into a nightmare.  
> Kudos would help me out a lot and I really do love and cherish all of the feedback I get, so thank you all so much for your support! I would like to thank eight-0f-hearts for reading over some and helping me in the right direction, so thank you so much I love you <3  
> Prompts will be filled if you've left one in my ask, so thanks for sending them and I promise they will be done. For now, they can be sent over to: youre-my-bois.tumblr.com  
> Also, Dan and Gavin meet up and reunite okay I promise it's a thing I just didn't write it.  
> 


End file.
